Rules and Setting

Matt Miller

The trouble with Dresden files is that there is too much stuff you had to make up on your own. Playing Dresden files reminded me of playing DnD early on, we had the books, but...much of what was actually played was furnished through a combination of FF6 and Dragon Lance, and adapting the published rules.

Which brings out the importance of setting--once you have a setting, a description of how the world works, then you can start making rules for it. Garth Nix's Sabriel would make an excellent setting--the 'rules' for the game exist in the books, and merely need numbers put to them. DnD itself grew in this way--start with the Chainmail combat engine, add clerical powers, add a Vancian magic system, and on and on.